System and apparatus for producing sliver for roving or spinning by connecting the two processes of carding and drawing



ay 28, 1968 NAONARI YAMAMOTO ETAL, 3,384,933

SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING SLIVER FOR ROVING OR SPINNING BY CONNECTING THE TWO PROCESSES OF CARDING AND DRAWING Filed July 6, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 F/g 4,4 Hg 21! Hg 25 INVENTOR 5 BY al /M ,fiujM ATTORNEYS NAONARI YAMAMOTO ETAL 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 5 BYIAJ 4? fi ATTORNEY;

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BY CONNECTING THE TWO PROCESSES OF CARDING AND DRAWING SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING SLIVER FOR ROVING OR Filed July 6, 1964 y 8, 1968 NAONARI YAMAMOTO ETA 3,384,933v

SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR PHODUCING SLIVER FOR ROVING OR SPINNING BY CONNECTING THE TWO PROCESSES OF CARDING AND DRAWING Filed July 6, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 HHVHHII J IIIIIIEHI Hllll] a) O\ i.

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INVENTORS BY LOW May 28, 1968 NAONARI YAMAMOTO ETAL 3,334,933

SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR PHODUCING SLIVER FOR ROVING OR SPINNING BY CONNECTING THE TWO PROCESSES OF CARDING AND DRAWING Filed July 6, 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

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7 INNTOR9 BY a) $1 11 M ATTORNEYS y 1968 NAONARI YAMAMOTO ETAL 3,384,933

SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING SLIVER FOR ROVING OR SPINNING BY CONNECTING THE TWO PROCESSES OF CARDING AND DRAWING Filed July 6, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 F/gi /2 INVENTOR S BYUJI Z nJ ATTORNEYS Uni States Patent 3,384,933 SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING SLIV- ER FUR RQVHNG 0R SPINNTNG BY CONNECT- iNG THE TWQ PROESSES 0F CARDHNG AND DRAWENG Naouari Yarnarncto, Mitsuo Masuda, Altira Tsubota, Kazan Moriyarna, and Yasuo Shida, Osaka-fir, Japan, assignors to Kureha Spinning C0,, Ltd, Osaka, Japan, a corporation of lapan Filed idly 6, 1e54, Ser. No. 380,275 Claims priority, application Japan, July 12, 1963, 38/355238; Apr. 31, 1964, 39/155,040; Apr. 2, 1964, 3% 18,398

11 Claims. (6i. 19--65) This invention relates to a sliver producing system and an apparatus for practicing the same, the system being one in which a single unit for carrying out the carding process or a small number of units thereof are connected to a single unit for carrying out the drawing process, a heavy web produced in the several units for the carding process are folded uniformly into a single ribbon sliver of several inches width, and the single ribbon sliver alone or a plurality thereof laid one on top of another is directly fed to a single unit for the drawing process.

According to conventional technique, the ordinary sliver delivered by the carding engines or machines was first collected in cans and a plurality of cans containing the sliver was then transported to the backside of a drawing frame where the sliver was drawn. It was the usual practice according to this system to make the card sliver delivered at the card engine or carding machine of a weight of 250350 grains/ 6 yards and then to double six or eight slivers and to draw them with a draft of six or eight times. Since results of experiments showed that the sliver delivered by the carding engine had a large amount of trailing hooks, the advantage of drawing this sliver directly in the direction of card delivery by connectin the two processes of carding and drawing was known. This method however was not easy to put into practice in view of the fact that it was necessary to provide a great number of carding engines for each drawing frame, with the consequence that there were difficulties involved in such points as the layout of the machines in the plant, the interrelationship between the several machines due to differences in the speeds and inertias of the carding engine and drawing frame, and the management of the machines. If it were possible to produce a sliver of heavy weight, i.e., a sliver which has a heavy weight per unit length or which has a large sectional area, at the same speed as the feed speed of the drawing frame, it would be possible to reduce greatly the number of carding engines required for feeding card sliver to a single drawing frame, and the card sliver could be fed directly to the drawing frame as delivered from the carding engines. in this case, however, the continuous production of card sliver of heavy weight by the carding engine entailed difficulties of various sorts. The difficulties were that, with the conventional doffer wire, the coefficient of fiber transfer between the cylinder and dofier decreased as the sliver became heavy and a heavy increase in the fiber layer on the cylinder surface and fiat occurred. Consequently, with the carding action becoming incomplete, the neps in the sliver increase and the rate of long fibers in the fiat strip becomes higher. As a result, an increase takes place in the fiber losses. This being the case, in adopting the method of connecting the carding engines and drawing frame directly and feeding the card sliver directly to the drawing frame, the method of deliverying a heavy card sliver was not favored.

In a system for drawing card slivers by connecting a single or a few units for the carding process with a single 3,384,933 Patented May 28, 1968 unit for the drawing process, the present invention produces a drawing sliver by coupling a single or a plurality of juxtaposed units for the carding process with a single unit for the drawing process, and it comprises obtaining card web of heavy weight from the several carding processes with a plurality of dotfers about which are mounted metallic wires having teeth whose front angle a is small and having a space between teeth which is large, doubling the thus obtained card webs along the flow thereof at an unequidistant location from the respective contact lines of the carding cylinder and doffers, then folding the doubled webs uniformly to make them into a single layered ribbon sliver consisting of webs of the same width, and thereafter using this sliver as obtained, or after laying one on top of the other sliver obtained by the same carding means or a plurality of ribbon sliver or slivers produced by a plurality of carding means directly feeding the same to a single drawing means provided with means for controlling the irregularity in thickness of the ribbon slivers.

On the other hand, the apparatus for practicing the foregoing system for drawing an ordinary sliver comprises that in which a single carding engine or a plurality of carding engines are directly coupled to a single drawing frame, and the carding engine or engines being provided with a plurality of doffers about which are mounted metallic wires having teeth whose front angle a is small and space between teeth is large for holding a large amount of fiber, a web guide roll adapted to double the card webs along their how at an unequidistant location from the contact lines of the cylinder and doffers, the roller shaft of said web guide roll being disposed in parallel to the dolfer shafts, an assembly of bent rods for folding the web uniformly, said assembly of rods disposed between the web guide roll and calender roll, the shafts of which rollers are not disposed in parallel with each other and in such a manner that the rods disposed alternately from two locations in proximity to the web guide roll converge to the remote ends of the calender rolls, and a means for feeding the thus obtained a single ribbon sliver delivered and folded from a single carding engine or after it has been laid on top of another of several ribbon slivers delivered from a plurality of carding engines, to a single drawing frame equipped with means for controlling the irregularity in thickness of the ribbon slivers.

In addition, since these processes and apparatus are operated continuously, means are provided on each of the driving shafts of the single drawing frame and the one or more carding engines having differing inertias at the starting and stopping thereof whereby the power from a single power source is transmitted to or shifted between the respective shafts of the several machines by way of a clutch for the drawing frame and one for the carding engines. Further, there is provided a smoothly shifted variable speed reducing apparatus for minimizing the amount of sliver accumulation ascribable to the difference in inertia between the carding engines and the drawing frame when carding engines are started or stopped; or when in concomitance with the temporary stoppage of the drawing frame the doffers alone are stopped while the rotation of the cylinder of the carding engine is continued. The drawing frame is also provided, on its nibbon like sliver feeding side, with an apparatus for controlling the irregularity in thickness of the slivers.

One embodiment of the invention will be more particularly described below, reference being had to the accompanying drawings. It is however not intended to to limit the invention to the embodiment illustrated and described but to include all variations and modifications within the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims.

FIG. 1 is an elevational view illustrating schematically the production of sliver by connecting two units of carding process with a single unit of a drawing process;

FIG. 2A is a front elevation of the configuration of a dotfer wire;

FIG. 2B is a cross sectional view of the configuration of the dot'fer wire;

FIG. 3 is a side view of a carding engine provided with a plurality of dolfe-rs and a web folding device;

FIG. 4 is a front elevation of the web folding device;

FIG. 4A is a sectional view on line 4a-4a of FIG. 4;

FIG. 5 is a side view as seen from line V-V of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a side view similar to FIG. 5 but having a pair of guide rollers;

FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view illustrating the coupling of a drawing frame with two carding engines;

FIG. 8 is an electric circuit diagram for operating the coupled drawing frame and carding engine (single or a plurality);

FIG. 9 is a view of a variable speed device for transmitting power from the cylinder shaft to the doffer shafts of a car-ding engine;

FIG. 10 is a front view of a sliver thickness irregularity measuring roller and a weighing arm;

FIG. 11 is a side view as seen from line XIXI of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating the operation of controlling the irregularity in thickness of the sliver; and

FIG. 13 is a view illustrating the principle of an electrohydraulic actuator.

Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 is an elevation view which shows the general arrangement of the present invention, in which doubled webs of heavy weight from a single carding engine or plurality of carding engines 10, 10' are folded into ribbon slivers 3, 3, which by being laid one on top of another are made into a single ribbon sliver 4 of still greater thickness and then fed to a drawing frame having a mechanism for controlling sliver irregularity 10 to be drafted 8-12 times. By an arrangement such as this there is obtained a uniform sliver 5 well-orientated in fiber configuration and without unevenness.

This apparatus will be referred to as a carding and automated drawing unit (CAD) for sake of convenience.

It has been confirmed by experiments that to obtain slivers well-oriented in fiber configuration it was effective to subject the web or sliver as obtained from the carding engine to a draft of 8-12 times in the direction of card delivery without storing in cans. Hence, according to this invention, the web or sliver delivered by a single or plurality of carding engines is conveyed by rolls, as obtained, and directly fed to the drawing frame where it is drawn.

FIGS. 2A and B show a metallic Wire of special configuration which is mounted on the periphery of the dotfer. This metallic wire is so designed that the front angle on of the tooth is made as small as possible, the upper back face of the tooth be being made straight and the lower part c-d thereof being curved concavely, while the bottom of the teeth d-e is broadened; whereby the space between tooth top b and the succeeding tooth top b, i.e., the space bc-deb, has been made as wide as possible. The width of base metal 24 is made wider than that tooth, and one side of that part where tooth 23 is provided is an inclined surface 24'. Since this tooth has a large space, the transfer of fibers from the cylinder to the dotfer is enhanced. When this special wire was used, a coefficient of fiber transfer of 5.4% was obtained at a production rate of 8 pounds/hour, 1000 grains/6 yards, i.e. 167 grains/yard. As the coeflicient of fiber 4 transfer is 0.9% when heavy web or sliver is delivered using the conventional wire, this is an improvement of about six times. In consequence of having used such a wire, a delivery of 6004300 grains/6 yards, i.e. 100 217 grains/yard has been made possible with one doffer and a Web or sliver of superior quality to that obtained by the conventional wire can be obtained. If the doffers used on the carding engine are increased to two, a dclivered sliver of up to 2600 grains/6 yards can be easily produced.

Disposition of the (lo jets FIG. 3 shows a carding engine equipped with a plurality of doffers for delivering a card web or sliver of heavy weight. In this embodiment, the carding engine is equipped with two dotfers. Dotfers 30, 30' are disposed on the opposite side from. feed roll 25 and taker-in roll or licker-in roll 26, with. respect to cylinder 27 and in a front-and-back relationship with respect to the rotation of the cylinder. The location at which the webs 2, 2 delivered from the doifers are doubled is a location along the flow thereof which is at different distances from the respective contact lines of the cylinder and doliers. At this unequidistant location, the webs after being laid one on top of another are folded. This folding can also be carried out using two rolls for the guide roll 32. In such an instance, the guide rolls serve not only as a guide roll but as a calender roll as well, and they can also serve to prevent the tension force from the hereinafter described folded ribbon sliver being transmitted to the dofiers via webs 2, 2'.

Folding of the web The manner of folding the web is shown in FIGS. 3, 4, 5 and 6, and is carried out between guide roll 32 and calender rolls 6, 6' mounted on a pair of shafts spaced above the shaft of the guide roll, and at a right angle with the guide roll; The length of the rolls 6 is less than that of the guide roll 32, corresponding to the folded width of the web. Between the guide roll and the calender rolls, there is a pair of supporting plates 34, 34' adjacent the guide roll. A plurality of curved bars 33 project from the supporting plate 34, toward both the contact point of the calender rolls 6 and the end plane at one end of the calender rolls. A plurality of bent bars 33' also project from the supporting plate 34 toward both the contact point of the calender rolls and the end plane at the other end of the calender rolls. As shown in FIG. 4, these bars are spaced from each other at equal distances in a horizontal direction, converging toward the contact point of the calender rolls. .And as mentioned above, since these bars are disposed at substantially equal distance, none of these bars crosses a neighboring bar. However, in a side elevation of FIG, 5, it will he understood that the bars appear to cross at a horizontal position 33" and the tips of the bars are in the end planes of the rolis 6. The surface of the web approaching the calender rolls 6, 6' from the guide roll 32 is twisted by simultaneously as the direction of movement of the web changes 90. The web, twisted by 90", passes from the lower part of the plurality of bars 33, 33' upwardly. At the position of the horizontal line 33", one surface of the web begins to contact the concave parts of the bars 33, while the other surface of the web begins to contact the concave parts of the bars 33. As the web approaches the guide roll the bars 33 gradually act in such a manner as to fold one surface of the web, while the bars 33' gradually act in such a manner as to fold the other surface of the web. Therefore, the web is folded in a zigzar pattern, viewed in cross section, when it comes near the tips of the bars 33 and 33, and it reaches the calender roll in the folded state. The arrangement is the same in the case where, as previously noted, guide rolls 32, 32' are provided instead of the single guide roll and the movement of. the webs is assisted by rotating the rolls positively is shown in FIG. 6.

Webs 2, 2 delivered from the dotfers are doubled at guide roll 32 or guide rolls 32, 32', then after changing direction towards calender rolls 6, 6' the doubled web is folded in a W shape while passing between the assembly of rods 33, 33, following which it is made into a layer ribbon sliver consisting of webs of uniform width several inches wide by means of calender rolls 6, 6. It will be understood that according to the invention, as the weight of web per unit length is greater than that of a conventional web, the aforementioned folding is possible, while a conventional web which is very thin would be broken during the folding.

Operation of CAD The operation of the CAD, the general arrangement of which has been described hereinabove, when described with reference to FIG. 3, is as follows: Fiber sheet 1 which has been fed to feed roller 25 of carding engine is conveyed to cylinder 27 by means of a taker-in roll, i.e., a licker-in roll 26. The fiber layer on the periphery of the cylinder, after being subjected to carding actions between the cylinder and the fixed metallic wire 28, and between the cylinder and the flats 29, is transferred to two doffers 30 and 30 having a surface speed of the order of 1 of that of the cylinder in order to deliver webs of heavy weight. The fiber layer around doffers 30, 39 are doffed as two webs 2, 2' by means of fly combs 31, 31'. The two Webs, after being doubled by guide roll 32, are delivered as a single web, folded in a W shape by an assembly of two rows of folding rods 33, 3-3, and thereafter the folded web is delivered as a ribbon sliver 3 of several inches width by means of a pair of calender rolls '6 disposed horizontally.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ribbon sliver 3, after leaving calender rolls 6, is delivered in a horizontal direction and proceeds by means of transporting rolls 7 and 8 in a direction at right angles to the direction of delivery from the carding engine. The other ribbon sliver 3 is delivered via calender rolls 6' from carding engine 10' juxtaposed alongside carding engine 10. Slivers 3 and 3' are doubled accurately by means of a guide 9 which regulates the movement of the slivers in the widthwise direction and becomes a still thicker ribbon sliver 4. Sliver 4 is then pressed by delivery rolls 11 and fed via feed guide 12 to the drawing part 1-4.

The drawing part 14 is provided with a thickness measuring means for the ribbon sliver, as hereinafter described, consisting of a pair of rolls, i.e., roll 13 and fluted roll 13, and the draft of the drawing part 14 is adjusted by means of the hereinafter described irregularity controlling device 18 in accordance with the irregularities in the ribbon sliver that have been measured. Thus, sliver 4 having its irregularity in thickness controlled is drawn to become an ordinary sliver 5 which is then stored in can 17 via calender rolls and coiler 16.

Since the invented system and apparatus for delivering a sliver from a fiber sheet are as described hereinabove, a heavy sliver can be produced with a single carding engine. Thus, as the ribbon sliver to be fed directly to a single drawing frame can be produced as a heavy sliver by only a single or, at most, a few carding engines, it becomes possible to couple a single carding engine of a few carding engines directly to a drawing frame and to operate with power from a single driving source. On the other hand, when the drawing frame and carding engines are directly coupled, it also is necessary in practicing the invention to shorten the stay of the sliver between the machines which occurs owing to differences in inertia of the rotaing parts of the two machines. Again, with the heavy sliver formed according to the invention, the drawing frame can be stopped temporarily, and with the cylinder of the carding engine still rotating, the doffer can be stopped temporarily to stop or decrease the fee-d of the sliver to the drawing frame, and then the drawing frame can be restarted to restart concomitantly the rotation of the dofler that was stopped temporarily. Further, as previously noted, by the provision of a means for controlling the thickness of the ribbon sliver, good quality drawn slivers can be produced. These means will be described below.

Connecting the drawing frame and carding engines The connected drawing frame and car-ding engines are schematically illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8. The shafts of cylinders 27, 27 of carding engines 10, 10 are coupled by means of a universal joint 41. Hence the two carding engines operate in complete synchronization. The carding engines are driven by an electric motor 42 which has the required torque for starting up the two machines simultaneously, its power being transmitted to drive shaft 44 through the medium of fiat belt 43. Drive shaft .45 of the drawing frame is connected to shaft 44 by means of a magnetic clutch 46 and when the magnetic clutch 46 functions in reverse, it acts a a magnetic brake. On the other hand, cylinders 27, 27' of the carding engines are driven from shaft 44 through the medium of a magnetic clutch 47, shaft 48 and timing belt 4-9.

Each of the carding machines is provided with a clutch (for example as illustrated hereinbelow with reference to FIGURE 9) for transmitting the rotation of the cylinder to the doifer. When switch 55 for the clutch opens, the cylinder and the doffer are disengaged. If the cylinder is in rotation but the doffer comes to a halt, the closing of the switch 5-5 causes the cylinder and the doffer to move together, A switch (not shown) for switching off the clutch independently is provided for a single operation of the drawing frame.

FIG. 8 shows the electric circuits to motor 42 and the magnetic clutches 46 and 47. Motor 42 is connected to an alternating current source I via contact 54 actuated by solenoid 53. Solenoid 53 is connected to the alternating current source in parallel with motor 42 via a series circuit of main switch 51 and manual switch 52. In parallel with solenoid 53 are solenoids 57 and 59 connected to the main switch 51 through manual switches 55 and 56, respectively. An alternating current from the alternating current source is rectified to a direct current by a rectifier 61, and is thereafter fed to clutches 46 and 47 via contacts 58, 69, respectively. The contact 58 actuated by solenoid 57 normally closes the circuit on the brake side 46 of clutch 46 and thus the drive circuit connected to the side 46 is normally open. The contact 60 actuated by solenoid 59 is a normally open switch. The power to the clutches is fed after first being rectified by rectifier 61.

By closing manual switches 52, 55 and 56 and then the main switch 51, motor 42 starts its rotation and simultaneously switch 57 causes contact 53 to close the power circuit to the 46 side of the clutch so as to engage clutch 46 with the drawing frame drive, thus transmitting the rotational force of the motor to shaft of the drawing frame. On the other hand, solenoid 59 causes contact 69 to close thereby engaging clutch 47. Hence, the motor gradually brings about an increase in the speed of rotation of the drawing frame 29 and carding engines 10, 1G. Thus the drawing frame and the carding engines are rotated at speeds which are at the same ratio (hereinafter referred to as speed of constant ratio). in this circuit, if the machines are started up while leaving switch open, the cylinders alone can be started up while keeping the doffers stopped. After the cylinders have attained their normal operation, the drawing frame and doffers can be started up by closing switch 55, consequently causing contact 58 to close to the drive side of the clutch 46 by means of solenoid 57 and then the machines can be brought up to speed of constant ratio. On the other hand, it is possible to operate the drawing frame alone by operating with clutch 47 disengaged. Further, upon deenergizing solenoid 57 clutch 46 is made to disengage and move to the brake side, as in an emergency stopping of the drawing frame. The drawing frame will stop immediately and at the same time the dolfers will also stop at the middle portion of clutch follower 77 mentioned below though the cylinders keep their normal rotation, thus stopping the feed of the sliver to the drawing frame. But, as soon as the drawing frame has been restored to its operating condition, by engaging clutch 46 the dotfers are made to rotate again and thus the sliver can be immediately fed to the drawing frame.

In this case, if the other switch (not shown) is pro vided so that the ratio of the speed of transmitting the power from the cylinder to the doffer is changeable, when the drawing frame stops but the cylinder rotates, it is possible to shift the clutch so as to retard the rotation of the dotfer and to wait for the resumption of the operation of the drawing frame while the carding operation is continued.

Apparatus for reducing the accumulation of a reserve amount of carded sliver When a card sliver is being fed to a drawing frame by operating a carding engine and drawing frame which are directly connected, if the drawing frame stops but the cylinder either rotates normally or continues running under inertia and the dolfers follow suit, the card sliver to be fed to the drawing frame will usually tend to accumulate between the carding engine and drawing frame. If this is allowed to continue, various diificulties could arise. Hence, it is necessary in this case to reduce the number of rotations that it transmitted to the dotfer from the cylinder which is either rotating normally or running under inertia. When this is shown with reference to FIG. 9, which is a schematic showing, gears 73, 75 are fitted to the cylinder rotating shaft 71, which gears 73, 75 are in mesh with gears 74, 76 rotatably mounted on a shaft 72 of the doffer (represented in this case by a single shaft). On shaft 72 between gears 74 and 76 are disposed facing inwardly clutch drivers 80, 81 which are connected with gears 74 and 76 and which can mesh with meshing surfaces 78, 79 formed on the opposite sides of clutch follower 77. The clutch follower 77 is capable of being slid axially along splines on the dotfer shaft, which is a splined shaft, and thus can shift into engagement with either of the clutch drivers. The shift is accomplished at a suitable time automatically or by other suitable means by moving follower 77 to either the left or right by means of a lever 83 pivoted about point 82.

Doffer shaft 72 is also provided with a gear 84 which in turn through a train of gears 85, S6 and 87 rotates flywheel 88 at a high speed. Since the inertia of a flywheel is directly proportional to the square of its rotating speed, in reducing the ratio of speed transmitted from I the cylinder to the dolfer by shifting the clutch when the drawing frame has stopped but the cylinder is rotating normally or running under inertia, the effects of shifting of the clutch. can be carried out smoothly by utilizing the inertia of the flywheel.

Controlling the irregularity in thickness of the ribbon sliver FIGS. and 11 illustrate the theory involved in con-- trolling the irregularity in thickness of the ribbon sliver 4. Sliver 4 of several inch width fed from drawing frame 20, while proceeding forward, has the edges guided by means of flange guides 93, 93 provided on the bottom fluted roll 13' and at the same time is pressed by means of a gang of measuring rolls consisting of a plurality of measuring rolls 13a, 13b, 13c and 13d disposed over the surfaces of roller 13' with no gaps therebetween. The several measuring rolls 13a, 13b, 13c and 13d are rotated indirectily by means of bottom rolls 13' through the medium of sliver 4. The gang of rolls 13 are held in place by a gang of top arms 95 consisting of similarly shaped top arms 95a, 95b, 95c and 95d with which the respective rolls 13a, 1312, 134: and 13:! are associated. Bearings 97 and rolls 97, which are held loosely in the inner side of a horseshoe-shaped foot of each top arm, by contacting the periphery of each measuring roll serve to hold the measuring rolls in such a manner that the smooth rotation of the latter is made possible. Rollers 13a, 13b, 13c and 13d will rise or fall in accordance with the thickness of sliver 4.

The other end of each top arm consists of a long weighing arm 98, which arm is smoothly rotatable about a shaft 94. Weighing arms 98 equal in number to the top arms are each provided with a pressure spring 99 so as to maintain arm 98 in the right position and press the sliver against the bottom fluted roller 13'. The ends of arms 98 are each secured by means of an adjustable screw 100 to a core shaft 102 of a corresponding differential transformer 101 provided separately for each arm, the zero point adjustment of which transformers is readily accomplished by adjustment of its screw.

The irregularity in thickness of the sliver, after being measured as an up-and-down movement of measuring roll 13, is magnified an amount determined by the leverage ratio between the top arms and weighing arms, and the up-and-down movements of the core shafts of the differential transformers become the input signal to the differential transformers.

The thickness of the ribbon sliver is measured in its as delivered width and the difficulties in the draft part are reduced considerably. On the other hand, the measured values of the thickness irregularities, while being very small, are magnified several times by the levers and then are converted by the differential transformers to electrical signals capable of amplification. As shown in FIG. 12, the several signals from the differential transformers are readily combined, then amplified in amplifier 103i, and indicated and recorded in a customary manner and at the same time sent to the electrohydraulic actuator 18.

In the electrohydraulic actuator, a direct-current type moving coil 105 is actuated by the input electrical signal, and as a result of the movement of the moving coil a correlated servo-motor 107 equipped with jet pipe 106 and a pilot valve 108 are actuated (see FIG. 13). The electrohydraulic actuator used is one in which the summed signals from the several differential transformers are amplified and in accordance with the input signal M converted mechanically by means of the movement of the moving coil. The jet pipe 106 is moved in the direction of the arrows l and m, thereby jetting a high pressure oil from a high pressure oil source N into the correlated servo-motor 107 to turn. on the feed valve of the high pressure oil to pilot valve 108 and thus feed the high pressure oil to operating cylinder 109. By the action of pilot valve 108, cylinder 109 is actuated to operate the speed changing mechanism promptly with a sufiiciently large force. Further, by feeding back to the movement of jet pipe 106 the movement of piston of cylinder 109 via linkage 114 consisting of a spring 10 in abuttable contact with jet pipe 106, and levers 112 and 113, the whole electrohydraulic system makes a directly proportional movement.

Thus, in accordance with the irregularities in sliver 4 measured by the measuring rolls 13, the variable speed mechanism 111 varies the speeds of the gang of front rolls 14 (14a; 14b; 14c) of drawing frame 20 to vary the drafting ratio, with the consequence that a uniform sliver 5 is obtained.

Summary The system and apparatus for producing sliver according to the present invention and means for practicing the same which. have been described above will now be recapitulated. below and at the same time the effects obtained thereby will be described.

First of all, since the carding engine is provided with a plurality of dotfers having metallic wires of special design and hence a ribbon sliver per unit machine which is very heavy per unit length and furthermore of high quality is delivered, the assignment of only a small number of carding engines to each drawing frame will do. Since the quently occur. On the other hand, at the periphery of the weight of the sliver produced by a carding engine is 250- sliver the thickness of the fiber sheet being thin the grip- 350 grains/6 yards in the conventional method of conping of the fiber was unreliable and hence the drafting necting the carding engines and drawing frame, it was could not be carried out satisfactorily. inevitably necessary to feed the slivers from six to twelve According to this invention, the ribbon sliver is one carding engines disposed juxtaposedly or in line. which has been made by suitably establishing the folded On the other hand, since the carding engine used in width of the web and its cross section is of rectangular this invention can deliver, as hereinbefore described, a shape. As it is possible to make the sliver of a uniform heavy sliver, the connecting to a single drawing frame thickness over its entire width and to give it a thickness of a single carding engine in the case where the sliver most suited for drafting, the drafting can be carried out produced is about 2500 grains/6 yards, or two carding most satisfactorily, with the consequence that an ordiengines when the sliver produced is about 1250 grains/6 nary sliver well-oriented in fiber configuration and havyards will do. Hence, the number of carding engines that ing a minimum of drafting irregularities can be produced need be connected with a single drawing frame can be from the drawing frame. Further, since the web is not reduced to a fraction of that required by the prior art gathered into a fine sliver at the carding engine but is processes. delivered as a wide ribbon sliver, it is not subjected to As an example of a calculation in this respect, if a unnecessary actions with respect to the entanglement of single carding engine delivers at a speed of meters per fibers and the fiber orientation in the sliver is good. The minute a ribbon sliver of 1250 grains/ 6 yards, the amount ribbon sliver is conveyed from the carding engine im.-

delivered per hour will be pounds. Hence, for a spin- 2() mediately to the drawing frame to be subjected to a ning operation of 10,000 spindles of 40 card yarn eight favorable draft. Thus, it is possible to deliver from the carding engines, or less, will be ample. drawing frame an ordinary sliver whose fiber orientation On the other hand, if, for example, the carding engine is good and in which drafting irregularities caused by employed is one with a 50-inch cylinder and this is rodrafting operation are at a minimum. When, by way of tated at 360 r.p.rn. or higher, not only good carding effects 5 example, the fiber orientation of a sliver obtained by can be had between the cylinder and the fixed metallic drafting of about 11 times in a drawing frame for a heavy wire provided at the rear of the carding engine and beribbon sliver of 2500 grains/ 6 yards delivered by a cardtween the cylinder and the flatwires but also the cleaning ing engine is compared with that of an ordinary sliver effect is enhanced as well, as a reduction in the wastes at drawn by means of the conventional process, the results the carding engine is achieved. Moreover, a sliver of high 30 are as shown in Table I. The sliver of the only one drawgrade can be produced. Since a plurality of dotfers are ing process is accordance with the invention is such a used and a metallic wire of special design is mounted good quality that it could be applied to a fly frame or spinthereabout, a web which has a high weight per unit length ning frame without further drawing.

TABLE I.COMPARISON or FIBER ORIENTATION (PERCENT) Card Sliver 1st Drawn Sliver 2d Drawn Sliver 3d Drawn Sliver Process Regular Reverse Regular Reverse Regular Reverse Regular Reverse Direction Direction Direction Direction Direction Direction Direction Direction CAD 92.2 86.4 97.2 96.2 Conventional process Q0. 2 83. 2 91. 8 94. 0 95. 2 94. 3 45. 4 96. 0

can be produced. Thus, the transfers of fiber from the As previously indicated, since in accordance with the cylinder to the doifers are improved and no increase takes invention a very heavy silver is delivered from the cardplace in the fiber layer on the cylinder surface even ing engines, when the carding engines and drawing frame though the webs are heavy. Hence, although the carding have been directly coupled to make up a single unit, it is and cleaning effects are enhanced, there is no increase in possible to reduce the number of carding engines empower consumption. ployed per unit, and as shown in FIG. 7, a shaft directly Since the webs delivered by the plurality of dotfers are coupling the cylinders and the rotating shaft of the drawdoubled together at a web guide roll which is disposed ing frame can be operated by power from a single source, such that it is at different distances along the webs from i.e., an electric motor. Hence, in operation, by introducthe dotfer, the webs are superposed with a suitable amount ing a mechanism for linking the cylinder and doffer and of shift, with the consequence that web irregularities one by which the starting and stopping of the drawing which appear excessively in high production carding enframe can be carried out separated from the cylinder, it gines become extremely small. Further, when a pair of becomes possible to start the crading engines and drawguide rolls are employed and the web is delivered posiing frame simultaneously and continue or stop their opertively, then tension to which the folded ribbon sliver is ation at speeds of constant ratio. Further, in case of an subjected by the calender roll does not reach the dolfers to emergency stop of the drawing frame, it can be stopped damage the web. independently of the cylinder. In addition, by disposing The heavy ribbon sliver of several inches width delivthe apparatus shown in FIG. 9 between the cylinder and ered by the carding engine, unlike the ordinary sliver, doifer shafts there is provided in a very simple setup a is easily handled and hence does not require a special conmeans for changing automatically at suitable times the veyor. A ribbon sliver conducted out in a sidewise direcratio of reduction in speed between the cylinder and doftion from the frame of a carding engine is laid one on fers, thus making possible the smooth operation and detop of another sliver or slivers delivered in like manner livery of slivers. from adjoining carding engines and made into a ribbon On the other hand, when the quality of slivers in acsliver of, say, 2500 grains/ 6 yards, after which it is fed cordance with the invention is considered, it is seen that to the drawing part of a drawing frame without slackena uniformly thick ribbon sliver having a mini-mum of ing by merely applying a draft of only several percent. web irregularities is delivered even at the carding engine. According to this invention, since the sliver delivered And since this sliver is fully drawn in the direction of the from the carding engine is made into a ribbon sliver of card delivery at the drawing frame which follows, pracseveral inches width without storing in cans and then tically all of the trailing hooks contained in a relatively directly drawn, a good draft can be imparted. In drawlarge amount in the sliver as delivered from the carding ing the ordinary sliver, as the cross section of the sliver engine can be straightened the drawing frame. In addition. was nearly circular in shape, the fiber sheet in the central by providing the drawing frame with a control mechanism part of the sliver was so dense as to render the smooth for sliver irregularity such as illustrated in FIGS. 10-13,

drawing impossible and so-called tight cores would frea very excellent sliver with respect to fiber orientation and irregularities can be obtained. As indicated in Table I above, the CAD system can deliver a sliver comparable in respect of fiber orientation and irregularities to that of the third passage drawing process of the conventional process. Thus better results can be obtained when a yarn is spun from a roving obtained from a sliver delivered by the CAD system than when spun from a roving obtained from a sliver delivered by the aforesaid third-passage drawing process. The coefficient of variation in grains of the yarn is particularly outstanding in that of the yarn obtained by the CAD system is reduced to 70 percent of that of the conventional process. Further, in view of the small amount of irregularities, the skein strength is improved somewhat, being better by 4-5 percent than that obtained by the conventional process. In addition, the yarn obtained from the sliver produced according to the CAD system of the invention is comparable, if not superior, to the conventional yarn in yarn unevenness and trash and neps, as judged from yarn appearance and also with respect to values obtained by the Uster unevenness tester.

By way of example, the results obtained when tests were made of the grade of a 4O card yarn spun by feeding a sliver obtained by the CAD system directly to a fly frame and then a spinning frame and that of same yarn count spun by feeding a sliver obtained by threepassages of drawing frame to a fiy frame and then a spinning frame are shown in Table II.

(Spindle r.p.m. 15,500)

l At completion of finisher drawing.

As the sliver delivered by the CAD system can, in this manner, he immediately roved and then spun at the spinning frame, the processing steps can be reduced by two steps from that of the conventional process consisting of the three passages of drawing process, roving and spinning. The CAD system also has the following merits.

In the conventional process, the sliver was in all cases collected in cans between each of the processing steps of carding and drawing and had to be conveyed to the following steps mainly manually. In addition, when the sliver was being fed to the next following step, there was required such manual operations as piecing of the sliver, etc. Hence, much labor was required and moreover there was the possibility that the piecing points would become the cause of irregularities in the sliver. Further, while in the conventional process it was necessary to collect the sliver in cans subsequent to each processing step and then transport these cans to the next following steps four times, in the CAD system the sliver is collected only once at the completion of the drawing operation to be then transported to the fly frame. Thus, since the cans are transported only once, the quality of the sliver can be improved while curtailing the labor required in transporting the cans and the number of cans that need be provided. As it becomes possible to reduce the number of machines along with the reduction in the number of processing steps, the application of CAD results in economy of equipment costs, depreciation expenses, floor space, power for operation of plant, and labor, and in turn also a reduction in the production of wastes.

Taking a specific example, when the blowing, carding and drawing processes of a 300,000 spindle 40 card sliver production plant is compared as a whole with that of the conventional process, the number of personnel employed decreases from 47 male and 17 female workers) to 16 (6 male and 10 female workers), a 66% reduction. Further, there is a reduction of about 20% in equipment costs, about in electric power consumed and about in floor space required for equipment. In addition, there is a saving of a little over 2% in raw COtiOn.

By applying the CAD system as the next step following the automatic blowing process, not only does it become possible that by just feeding raw cotton to the blowing process thereafter a drawn sliver is collected automatically in cans, but also since the number of carding engines making up a single unit of operation is small, the length of the feeder passage from the blowing process to the carding engines can be shortened.

The invention can also be adapted to the production of blended sliver in which there has been blended a different class of fiber by stacking together in sandwich fashion during the step of doubling the ribbon sliver of the CAD system, slivers of different classes of fibers, which having been drafted from cans containing the same to about the same width as the ribbon sliver are introduced from a direction at right angles to the flow of the aforesaid ribbon sliver. Then after pressing, the sandwiched sliver is fed to the drawing frame and there is delivered therefrom a blended sliver in which has been blended fibers of different classes.

Thus, the rate of automation of the spinning process can be raised tremendously by using the CAD system in the spinning process.

What is claimed is:

1. A process of doffing a web, forming it into a sliver and feeding it directly to a drawing frame, comprising doi'fing a plurality of carded webs each having a weight of at least grains/yard from a carding engine, doubling the carded webs at a location spaced at difierent distances along the respective line of flow of the carded webs from the doffers, folding the doubled web longitudinally and uniformly into a ribbon sliver, and feeding the thus formed ribbon sliver directly to a single drawing step and controlling the irregularity of the thickness of the ribbon sliver in said drawing step.

2. A process as claimed in claim 1 further comprising forming at least one further such ribbon sliver, and laying the ribbon slivers one on top of the other ribbon sliver prior to feeding them to the drawing step.

3. A process as claimed in claim 1 in which the step of doffing comprises reducing the speed of clothing when the drawing process stops, thereby to shorten the length of sliver which accumulates between the carding and drawing processes.

4. A process as claimed in claim 1 in which the step of controlling irregularities in the thickness of the ribbon sliver which is fed to the drawing step comprises measuring the deviations in thickness of the ribbon sliver, converting the deviations of thickness into an electrical signal which is the sum of the deviations, converting the summed electrical signal into a hydraulic signal, and using the hydraulic signal to change the speed of the drafting rollers of the drawing process.

5. An apparatus for feeding a sliver from at least one carding machine having a cylinder to a drawing frame, comprising a plurality of doffers mounted adjacent the cylinder of the carding machine and each having a doffer comb associated therewith, a web guide roller disposed on the output side of the doffers at a point which is at a different distance from the lines of contact between the doffer combs and doffers as measured along the webs, the axis of the web guide roller being parallel with the axis of the doffers, a pair of calender rollers having axes spaced from and at right angles to the web guide roller axis, an assembly of shaped. rods for folding the web longitudinally and uniformly to form a folded ribbon sliver, said assembly being positioned between the web guide roller and said pair of calender rollers and including a first plurality of curved rods curving across the path of the web between said web guide roller and said calender rollers from a position closer to the web guide roller and on one side of the path and from a direction transverse to the path into the plane of the ends of the calender rollers on the other side of the path, and a second plurality of curved rods curving across the path of the web between said web guide roller and said calender rollers from a position closer to the Web guide and on the other side of the path from a direction transverse to the path into the plane of the ends of the calender rollers on the one side of the path, the rods of said pluralities alternating in a direction parallel to the axis of the web guide roller and converging in the direction of said axis toward the contact point of said calender rollers, a drawing frame feed means for feeding the folded ribbon sliver to the drawing frame and including means for controlling irregularity in the thickness of the sliver, and a single drive means connected to the carding machine and the drawing frame.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 5 futher including at least one further carding machine for producing at least one other ribbon sliver, means between said calendder rollers and said feed means for laying said at least one other ribbon sliver on top of said ribbon sliver, and said single drive means connected to the carding machine and to the drawing frame being connected to said at least one further carding machine.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 5 in which the doffers each have two gear Wheels freely rotatably mounted on the shafts thereof and a clutch means for coupling the gear wheels to the dolfer shafts, said carding machine having a cylinder drive means to which said single drive means is coupled, said two gear wheels being coupled to said cylinder drive means to enable a change of the ratio of speeds of the dolfer cylinders transmitted from the carding machine drive means, and a flywheel mounted on the shaft of each doifer cylinder to enable the speed change to be effected smoothly.

8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6 in which connecting means is provided interconnecting the plurality of carding machines for simultaneous driving thereof.

9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 5 in which the drive means includes a single motor for driving the plurality of carding plurality of carding engines and the single drawing frame, and a single clutch between the motor and drawing frame, the clutch adapted, when disengaged, to interrupt the transmission of power to the drawing frame as well as to brake the dolfer.

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein the means for controlling the irregularity in the thickness of the sliver comprises, in combination of a fiuted roller, a plurality of measuring rollers juxtaposed at right angles to the direction of advance of the ribbon sliver and positioned above said fiuted roller and being held away from the fluted roller by the thickness of the ribbon sliver, a lever coupled to each measuring roller for magnifying the deviation of each of said measuring rollers, a differential transformer connected to each lever for converting the amount of deviation of each lever to electrical quantities, means connected to the transformers for summing the several electrical quantities, an electrohydraulic actuator coupled to the summing means to convert the summed electrical quantities to a hydraulic signal, and a means coupled to the actuator and the drive means for changing the speed of the drafting rollers of the sliver; whereby the thickness of the sliver is measured by the several measuring rollers, then magnified by means of the measuring levers, following which the magnified measured quantities are converted to the several electrical quantities, the several electrical quantities are summed, and thereafter the summed electrical quantities are converted by a hydraulic signal, whereby the speed of the drafting rollers of the sliver is changed by means of the hydraulic signal.

11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 16 wherein the electrohydraulic actuator comprises a direct-current type moving coil which is actuated by means of an input electrical signal, a correlated servo-motor connected with a high pressure oil source and actuated by said moving coil, a pilot valve connected with said high pressure oil source and actuated my hydraulic pressure from said pilot valve, and means for feeding back the movement of said operating cylinder to said correlated servo-motor.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,114,293 10/1914 Rothe 19150 2,832,098 4/1958 Mee 19-114 3,111,718 11/1963 Nutter et al 19105 3,184,798 5/1965 Burnet et al. 19-65 3,268,952 8/1966 Burnham 19106 X 1,892,496 12/1932 Willard 74-240 XR FOREIGN PATENTS 3,962 of 1873 Great Britain. 7,002 of 1895 Great Britain. 12,615 of 1886 Great Britain. 930,873 7/1963 Great Britain. 1,372,080 8/ 1964 France.

DORSEY NEWTON, Primary Examiner. 

5. AN APPARATUS FOR FEEDING A SLIVER FROM AT LEAST ONE CARDING MACHINE HAVING A CYLINDER TO A DRAWING FRAME, COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF DOFFERS MOUNTED ADJACENT THE CYLINDER OF THE CARDING MACHINE AND EACH HAVING A DOFFER COMB ASSOCIATED THEREWITH, A WEB GUIDE ROLLER DISPOSED ON THE OUTPUT SIDE OF THE DOFFERS AT A POINT WHICH IS AT A DIFFERENT DISTANCE FROM THE LINES OF CONTACT BETWEEN THE DOFFER COMBS AND DOFFERS AS MEASURED ALONG THE WEBS, THE AXIS OF THE WEB GUIDE ROLLER BEING PARALLEL WITH THE AXIS OF THE DOFFERS, A PAIR OF CALENDER ROLLERS HAVING AXES SPACED FROM AND AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE WEB GUIDE ROLLER AIXS, AN ASSEMBLY OF SHAPED RODS FOR FOLDING THE WEB LONGITUDINALLY AND UNIFORMLY TO FORM A FOLDED RIBBON SLIVER, SAID ASSEMBLY BEING POSITIONED BETWEEN THE WEB GUIDE ROLLER AND SAID PAIR OF CALENDER ROLLERS AND INCLUDING A FIRST PLURALITY OF CURVED RODS CURVING ACROSS THE PATH OF THE WEB BETWEEN SAID WEB GUIDE ROLLER AND SAID CALENDER ROLLERS FROM A POSITION CLOSER TO THE WEB GUIDE ROLLER AND ON ONE SIDE OF THE PATH AND FROM A DIRECTION TRANSVERSE TO THE PATH INTO THE PLANE OF THE ENDS OF THE CALENDER ROLLERS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PATH, AND A SECOND PLURALITY OF CURVED RODS CURVING ACROSS THE PATH OF THE WEB BETWEEN SAID WEB GUIDE ROLLER AND SAID CALENDER ROLLERS FROM A POSITION CLOSER TO THE WEB GUIDE AND ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PATH FROM A DIRECTION TRANSVERSE TO THE PATH INTO THE PLANE OF THE ENDS OF THE CALENDER ROLLERS ON THE ONE SIDE OF THE PATH, THE RODS OF SAID PLURALITIES ALTERNATING IN A DIRECTION PARALLEL TO THE AXIS OF THE WEB GUIDE ROLLER AND CONVERGING IN THE DIRECTION OF SAID AXIS TOWARD THE CONTACT POINT OF SAID CALENDER ROLLERS, A DRAWING FRAME FEED MEANS FOR FEEDING THE FOLDED RIBBON SLIVER TO THE DRAWING FRAME AND INCLUDING MEANS FOR CONTROLLING IRREGULARITY IN THE THICKNESS OF THE SLIVER, AND A SINGLE DRIVE MEANS CONNECTED TO THE CARDING MACHINE AND THE DRAWING FRAME. 